Katie Chanski has been involved in the Girl Scouts since she was in the first grade. Having been a Scouting leader in the Hebron area for 12 years now, "I love every minute of it," said Chanski.

"I have a lot of fond memories of the time I spent with my troop as a kid," she said. Chanski stayed in a troop until she was in the ninth grade and completed her Silver Award.

"I attended day camp at Camp Laurel for many years, and then became a junior leader," said Chanski. Finding her way to the waterfront at Camp Laurel, Chanski became a lifeguard and swim instructor. "So even though I was no longer in a troop, I remained involved with Scouts every summer at the camp," she said. Chanski ended her time at the camp after the birth of her oldest daughter (she has four). "It was sad to leave, but my focus became my family," she said.When daughter Kailee became old enough, Chanski became the leader of her troop. After Kailee moved on from Scouts, Chanski became the leader for daughters Maggie and Lizee's troop. "My only regret is I don't have the time to be a leader for Faith's troop, but I am glad that she, too, has the opportunity to be in Scouts," said Chanski

Chanski says she loves what Girl Scouts has to offer young girls. "They learn so many new skills and how to work together to complete tasks," she said. Scouting gives girls a group of peers that they have something in common with, said Chanski, and teaches them to look at their community with an eye toward service. Girls learn to look for ways that they can make their world a better place, said Chanski. "They discover that even small acts of kindness and service can have a big impact," she said.

Recently, Chanski's troop combined with another to sing carols at a local nursing home. "It was so heartwarming to see the girls' reaction to the time they spent with the residents of the home," she said."They were all so touched by the experience that I was like, 'Yes... this is why I do what I do,'" said Chanski.

Chanski said she struggles with time management and organizational skills, "but I am working on that and the girls don't seem to mind." On the days when she is running herself ragged and questioning her ability to keep up, Chanski said she thinks back to events such as the nursing home visit. "It is very rewarding to see the girls grow into such fantastic, independent, community-minded young women, and I like knowing that Scouts helped play a role in that," she said.

In addition to running her own troop, Chanski also provides a cookie cupboard at her house for the local service unit. "It allows the girls in the area cookies for booth sales and for any orders they may have from their neighbors," she said. It is important for troops to have the funds they need to do projects, "and cookie sales are a major way to do this," said Chanski."The girls learn so many great skills from this sale, not only math, but the ability to set goals and make plans to achieve them," she said. Girls learn about budgeting and setting reasonable goals, said Chanski. "We will be working really hard in the next few weeks to reach the goals we have all set, and I truly appreciate the support that the community gives to us," said Chanski.